Microsoft founder Bill Gates, a longtime proponent of tablet-style computing and touchscreen devices, has said he is not impressed by what he's seen of Apple's iPad.

The multi-billionaire spoke with Brent Schlender of BNET and admitted that while he became envious of the iPhone, the iPad has not elicited the same reaction from him.

"You know, Im a big believer in touch and digital reading, but I still think that some mixture of voice, the pen and a real keyboard -- in other words, a netbook -- will be the mainstream on that," Gates reportedly said.

"So, its not like I sit there and feel the same way I did with iPhone where I say, 'Oh my God, Microsoft didnt aim high enough.' It's a nice reader, but theres nothing on the iPad I look at and say, 'Oh, I wish Microsoft had done it.'"

Gates joins a chorus of technology enthusiasts and casual users alike who have said they feel they were let down by Apple's iPad announcement. One study found that while the number of users interested in buying the device tripled after it was unveiled, the lion's share have said they will not purchase an iPad.

Gates' support of tablet-style computers is nothing new It was in 2001 that he and Microsoft introduced the "Tablet PC," which was predicted to be everyone's primary computer in just a few years. However, the form-factor and input method failed to catch on.

At the D conference in 2007, Gates and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs sat down together for an interview in which the two tech titans spent some time talking about the future of computing, and where tablet-style devices might fit into the mix.

"I believe in the tablet form factor," Gates said in 2007. "I think you'll have voice. I think youll have ink. You'll have some way of having a hardware keyboard and some settings for that. And then you'll have the device that fits in your pocket, which the whole notion of how much function should you combine in there, you know, there's navigation computers, there's media, there's phone. Technology is letting us put more things in there, but then again, you really want to tune it so people know what they expect."

While Jobs didn't embrace the tablet form factor like Gates did, he did say he believed computers were going to become even more mobile, and the very idea of what consumers view as a computer could change dramatically.

"This general purpose device is going to continue to be with us and morph with us, whether it's a tablet or a notebook or, you know, a big curved desktop that you have at your house or whatever it might be," Jobs said. "So I think that'll be something that most people have, at least in this society. In others, maybe not, but certainly in this one."

Of course, Apple's latest take on the tablet is much different than the options offered by Microsoft and competitors up until this point, with the multi-touch, multimedia iPad being more akin to an iPod touch than a MacBook. Analysts expect the iPad to sell millions in its first year.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates, a longtime proponent of tablet-style computing and touchscreen devices, has said he is not impressed by what he's seen of Apple's iPad.

Which is the MS "Kiss of Success" for an Apple product! That and the nervous laugh we heard from Steve Ballmer when he was expressing his views on Apple's iPhone!

Quote:

"You know, I’m a big believer in touch and digital reading, but I still think that some mixture of voice, the pen and a real keyboard -- in other words, a netbook -- will be the mainstream on that," Gates reportedly said.

If that is what is required to make a tablet a success, why have none of your efforts became known as "Gamer Changers?!" Netbook!? Really?! A netbook is a cheap copy of a cheap PC laptop... If that's mainstream then I'm happy to be odd man out, thank you very much! Oh and while it looks cool and has the potential for it's own niche market, we are still waiting on that "Courier" thingy...

Quote:

"So, it’s not like I sit there and feel the same way I did with iPhone where I say, 'Oh my God, Microsoft didn’t aim high enough.' It's a nice reader, but there’s nothing on the iPad I look at and say, 'Oh, I wish Microsoft had done it.'"

Code for Microsoft's 'iPad' will be out within a year or two... maybe three... Depends on our OS...

Ten years ago, we had Steve Jobs, Bob Hope and Johnny Cash. Today we have no Jobs, no Hope and no Cash.

I think how successful the iPad will be will depend a lot in what kind of applications developers dream up. Personally, I think it's on the big side and wish it were a little smaller. But if Apple came out with a version of Aperture for the iPad that let me load my photos in the field, review/edit/arrange them on the iPad, and then sync the whole project back to my desktop, then I'd say with a high degree of certainty that I'd get one.

Short of that I'd probably just stick with an iPod touch because it's more portable (while wishing it was a little bigger... got that Apple, I'd like something between the touch and the iPad )

Gates' support of tablet-style computers is nothing new It was in 2001 that he and Microsoft introduced the "Tablet PC," which was predicted to be everyone's primary computer in just a few years. However, the form-factor and input method failed to catch on.

Right, because the OS had nothing to with....

Windows is mildly tolerable on a PC but downright unusable on a Netbook. And the reason why the MS tablet didn|t catch on was that the OS was so annoying and while trying to do everything didn|t do anything well (see Steve Jobs on that) that people didn|t WANT to use it.

It never fails to amaze me that MS looks at something someone else does (iPod, iPhone, OS, you name it) and then says "well, that's not very remarkable, is it?"

I think that Gates represents a big segment of the tech nerd set but a small segment of the overall population. The tech nerds look at the iPad's tech specs, not at the whole device. They go down the spec sheet and see a bunch of components and features that are already available in other products (though not necessarily all in the same product, which is kind of the point), and so they are not impressed. They can't see the whole thing and they can't see how other non-tech geeks will see it. They really are tone deaf on this. It's kind of funny to watch. And when you go to the tech nerd sites, you see a lot of confusion and even anger over the device -- I think it's because they're ticked off that once again they are left out in the cold -- the rest of the world perceives something they don't, and it drives them nuts. It's almost as if it reminds them that girls don't like them, never will, and they don't understand why.

Being a border-line tech-nerd myself (girls kinda like me, but not too much), I was a little unsure what to think of it when it first came out, but I now think it's going to be a big success. I keep finding myself in situations where it would be the perfect tool, and the normal people that I talk to are pretty interested in it.

Thank you- and no amount of spin here or from Apple will change that. It's basiclly an extension of the iTunes store (an iPod) and, even worse, a hobby exactly like the Apple TV (another iPod) was when it was released. And look where that is today.
Now I will be accused of being negative and a troll but I could care less.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates, a longtime proponent of tablet-style computing and touchscreen devices, has said he is not impressed by what he's seen of Apple's iPad....

I'm sorry, but Bill Gates is probably the last person we should be listening to when it comes to predictions of future technology like this. For starters he has been wrong about almost every "prediction" like this he has ever made.

Also, he doesn't even make sense. If you read his actual words as reported above, this "prediction," (like most of his others) is just one statement in the middle of a whole bunch of conflicting and mutually exclusive other statements. It's total bafflegab, similar to when Balmer starts talking marketing and sales.

He talks vaguely about a lot of things. He says how he believes in the tablet but then talks about it having a hardware keyboard. He talks about something that "fits in your pocket" in the same context (a tablet?), and more vagueness about the capabilities each of these possible devices might have.

Apple is the company actually designing these devices. They are the ones actually making the decisions about what technology goes into them and how they work.

All Bill does is dream a little tech dream and hope for the future. Anyone can do that. His "predictions" are no better than what any tech person could tell about what they think might happen in the next few years. He just has a pulpit to preach from is all.

I think how successful the iPad will be will depend a lot in what kind of applications developers dream up. Personally, I think it's on the big side and wish it were a little smaller. But if Apple came out with a version of Aperture for the iPad that let me load my photos in the field, review/edit/arrange them on the iPad, and then sync the whole project back to my desktop, then I'd say with a high degree of certainty that I'd get one.

Short of that I'd probably just stick with an iPod touch because it's more portable (while wishing it was a little bigger... got that Apple, I'd like something between the touch and the iPad )

BEAUTIFUL idea! Shooting with your DSLR tethered to an iPad would be an asset that would be invaluable and make a wonderful professional reason to buy one!

Alas though.... Unless they made the iPad so that I can tether it to my iPhone and I don't need to pay for any extra data package I most likely will not be in the market for one. I have my iPhone and I have my MacBook Pro. Do I really need or want a 9.7" iPod Touch that cannot embrace the real internet?

You do know Steve Jobs never developed, engineered, or designed anything right? Is he a hypocrite too for saying something isn't up to snuff?

At least Gates actually designed, engineered, developed, SOMETHING!

Really? I doubt that very much. I guess he never scribbled ideas on a notepad or something in Apple's early years and had things built based upon his ideas. How do you define develop, engineer or designed?

Gates didn't thought much of ipods and iphones... did he missed the market share report on those Apple products? Pretty sure he didnt think much of Google when it was launched. It's one thing to be loyal to your own brand and products, it's foolish to dismiss something he doesn't get.

I think that Gates represents a big segment of the tech nerd set but a small segment of the overall population. The tech nerds look at the iPad's tech specs, not at the whole device. They go down the spec sheet and see a bunch of components and features that are already available in other products (though not necessarily all in the same product, which is kind of the point), and so they are not impressed. They can't see the whole thing and they can't see how other non-tech geeks will see it. They really are tone deaf on this. It's kind of funny to watch. And when you go to the tech nerd sites, you see a lot of confusion and even anger over the device -- I think it's because they're ticked off that once again they are left out in the cold -- the rest of the world perceives something they don't, and it drives them nuts. It's almost as if it reminds them that girls don't like them, never will, and they don't understand why.

Being a border-line tech-nerd myself (girls kinda like me, but not too much), I was a little unsure what to think of it when it first came out, but I now think it's going to be a big success. I keep finding myself in situations where it would be the perfect tool, and the normal people that I talk to are pretty interested in it.

Really? I doubt that very much. I guess he never scribbled ideas on a notepad or something in Apple's early years and had things built based upon his ideas. How do you define develop, engineer or designed?

Steve Jobs is the 'Marketing Guy' that the OP was claiming Gates to be, are you really arguing that point?

So, its not like I sit there and feel the same way I did with iPhone where I say, 'Oh my God, Microsoft didnt aim high enough.' It's a nice reader, but theres nothing on the iPad I look at and say, 'Oh, I wish Microsoft had done it.'"

I don't know, but I think it's possible that Bill Gates is telling the truth here and he really doesn't see the value of the iPad, just like millions of others. And that's the genius of Steve Jobs. Others can't dream up this valuable stuff on their own, and they can't even recognize it when it's directly shown to them. But they'll eventually get it when people around them start using iPads and they get to spend time with one themselves. An almost magical device, the Internet in your hands ... it's going to be awesome.

Thank you- and no amount of spin here or from Apple will change that. It's basiclly an extension of the iTunes store (an iPod) and, even worse, a hobby exactly like the Apple TV (another iPod) was when it was released. And look where that is today.
Now I will be accused of being negative and a troll but I could care less.

Nobody has to spin anything to be impressed by 0.5", 1.5 lb device, that has a 9.7" web browser.

I find it hypocritical that a marketing guy that never really invented anything except DOS says "no biggie" to something he doesn't really know anything about.

Bill Gates knows innovation like Donald Trump knows how to mop his floor.

Bill Gates didn't invent DOS, he bought the rights to QDOS, written by Tim Paterson of Seattle Computer Products.
QDOS was itself based on CP/M, written by Gary Kindall.
To be fair, Tim Paterson did go to work for Micosoft in 1981.

At this point I have to agree. Of course the iPad isn't released and there's probably some things that haven't come to life yet but I was really expecting something groundbreaking. Or at least that was my criteria for me to be interested in buying one. I have an iPhone, I have a MacBook so the iPad would have to do something that these devices can't or can't with ease. I just don't see it.

I guess I could be completely wrong. I wasn't too impressed with the iPod either and that certainly changed the game.

Thank you- and no amount of spin here or from Apple will change that. It's basiclly an extension of the iTunes store (an iPod) and, even worse, a hobby exactly like the Apple TV (another iPod) was when it was released. And look where that is today.
Now I will be accused of being negative and a troll but I could care less.

Not a troll, you're entitled to your own opinion.

Personally I think the iPad is a cool device. From the minute I got my 1st iPhone I always thought if they made a similar device but 4-5x bigger, I'd get it.

I vehemently disagree with you about this being a hobby. I think this is the direction that Apple and the Mac OS are going. You can see glimmers of it with iTunes and iPhoto. Getting rid of the file structure and finder. Allowing users to work with their content in a quick and easy way. If you take a look at iWork, Calendar, Mail, and even Photo applications you can see that some serious thought and resources have been put into them. These apps launch faster then their equivalents on my MBP AND seem to be full featured with awesome GUIs.

Funny how Billy missed the 'unimpressiveness' of the iPod and the somewhat 'impressiveness' of the iPhone - as gadgets of themselves. But they are more then gadgets - as Billy fails to comprehend - time and time again, as his former company continues to play catch-up over and over again...
it's all about the whole picture -> gadget hardware + gadget software + gadget design + hungry market + uninspired competitors + special deals with media companies + understanding the internet's changing and interactive spirit... these must all be in place for a gadget to aspire beyond a simple collection of wow-parts and become the game-changer.

If the iPad can do all these things, since some have not yet been revealed, we will again have another market leader by all-inclusiveness, the lifestyle that everyone wants.

Silly Billy - always computer geek, never businessperson, never artist, never dreamer. Go back to your garage and tinker by yourself (or save the orphans with your billions), whatever.

Steve Jobs is the 'Marketing Guy' that the OP was claiming Gates to be, are you really arguing that point?

I'm arguing the point that he never had an idea, design or suggestion for something to be produced ever. Your original point was that he never designed or engineered anything, which is what I doubt. After over 30 years of being in business, I am quite sure he did get involved in something. He may not have programmed any single line of code, but that doesn't mean that he never had any input or ideas on products that was given to his goons and prototyped.

Steve Jobs is the 'Marketing Guy' that the OP was claiming Gates to be, are you really arguing that point?

Steve Jobs is a master marketer. There is no debating that point. But, no, I don't think that that was the previous poster's argument. The argument is about the original claim that Steve Jobs never developed, engineered, or designed anything. That assertion is laughable. He may not be a developer or engineer himself, but he has been known to spend YEARS with teams of engineers and developers trying to get a single product right. Sometimes, the product never meets his design standards, and he scraps the whole thing.

He is VERY MUCH involved in the design process. Is ANYBODY really arguing THAT point?

Being a border-line tech-nerd myself (girls kinda like me, but not too much), I was a little unsure what to think of it when it first came out, but I now think it's going to be a big success. I keep finding myself in situations where it would be the perfect tool, and the normal people that I talk to are pretty interested in it.

Borderline? You sound like an über-geek But don't worry, I'm sure lots of girls like you. One day one will like you lots and you'll marry her.

Thank you- and no amount of spin here or from Apple will change that. It's basiclly an extension of the iTunes store (an iPod) and, even worse, a hobby exactly like the Apple TV (another iPod) was when it was released. And look where that is today.
Now I will be accused of being negative and a troll but I could care less.

A lot of opinions have been expressed regarding the iPad being nothing but a iPod Touch on steroids. The conclusion is that the product disappoints.

But one might want to check their implied premise, which is that a large iPod Touch would suck. The iPod Touch is a very popular product, and one of the main knocks against it is the small screen. Another is the lack of 3G connectivity. Providing a version with a very large screen and 3G as an option addresses those concerns.

So I can start with the same view, i.e. that the iPad is basically a large iPod Touch (or if you opt for 3G, a large iPhone without the voice call component yet) and obtain the conclusion that it will be a fairly popular product. Not "iPhone-style" popular... but definitely "Macbook-style" popular.

The iPad is ground breaking but people's expectations were too high. But I'd wager that the really groundbreaking thing is not as much the iPad itself, but the way it will change the way we interact with the web.

Quote:

I guess I could be completely wrong. I wasn't too impressed with the iPod either and that certainly changed the game.

iTouch is a big success. The iPad is a big iTouch. Big is bad. Therefore the iPad will fail. MacBookPro is 13 to 17" and is bigger than an iTouch and is successful. iPad is smaller than a MacBook. Small is bad. Device will not multi task. People can't actually multi task. Can't do what we can't do. Switching from function to function on computer is slow without multi-tasking. iPad will open new function as quickly as switching tasks on a computer. They only talked about the iPad in this article. Why can't they multi task and talk about 5 or 6 things at once? Great logic from the critics.

BEAUTIFUL idea! Shooting with your DSLR tethered to an iPad would be an asset that would be invaluable and make a wonderful professional reason to buy one!

Alas though.... Unless they made the iPad so that I can tether it to my iPhone and I don't need to pay for any extra data package I most likely will not be in the market for one. I have my iPhone and I have my MacBook Pro. Do I really need or want a 9.7" iPod Touch that cannot embrace the real internet?

Notice how Aperture 3's new full-screen mode looks a lot like a touch-sceen interface. You'd have to make the buttons a little bigger, and you'd lose the keyboard shortcuts. But other than that, right there is your iPad version.

To your 2nd point... I wonder how well the new Palm Pro models' wi-fi sharing works. It let's you use the phone's wi-fi to share it's 3G connection, similar to a mifi card would do. Maybe a feature request for the iPhone...to allow tethering via it's wi-fi connection rather than bluetooth or USB (I assume the current iPhone can't do that in those countries where tethering is allowed?)